Japanese

Japanese and Italian are two of my favorite types of food , the idea of a fusion of the two sounded interesting but I was not sure how they would go together. However after trying it out at Lumi Dining I am defiantly a fan and at $95 for the 8 course menu with matching wines $80 its really good value for food at this level.

The service was laid back but still professional and the waiters had a good knowledge of the food. A couple of the courses were served up by one of the chefs which I thought was cool. All the food was excellent with interesting flavors and textures along with some beautiful presentation.

Lumi defiantly deserves the two hats they were recently awarded at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards. I dont often return to a restaurant shortly after going there once however I see another meal here for me in the near future.

Chawanmushi – I dont like Chawanmushi I find the combination of the egg custard with a fishy/soy taste not to my liking. This however is an Italian take on Chawanmushi with the fishyness replaced with Parmesan cheese making it top dish for me and a perfect way to start off a meal like this.

Beetroot , black seaseme , cream – this one missed the mark for me, salty beetroot topped with a sauce and cream.

Spanner crab , kolhrabi , yukari

Ravoli , guyere cheese , porcini butter – my favorite dish of the meal! This ravoli was amazing so much flavor and the mixture of textures makes it a perfect dish. I wish I could have a main sized portion of these.

Yasaka Ramen is a new place on York St serving up Tonkotsu ramen with a full range of other Japanese dishes. I arrived early for dinner on a weekday just before 6 and there was no queue however when I came to leave there was a big line down the road so unless you like waiting best to come early or late. The place has ramen themed decor pictures on the wall banners with there slogan “no ramen no life”.

Takoyaki with special sauce 4 balls $6 – these were really good soft batter with a tender piece of octopus inside topped off with a sweet sauce and mayo

Karaage Chicken 3 pieces $4.8

Takana Rice $3.80

Edamame $3.50

Gyoza Pork $6.50

Tonkostu Shoyu $12.80 – The soup here is on the thicker side not as thick as Gumshara but still thick rich fatty pork broth with a firm noodle.

From the outside you would not be bale to guess there is a Japanese restaurant inside with the an old stone facade like many others that can be found around The Rocks area. The decor inside is as you would expect Japanese but not like a super authentic I think I am in Japan type way. The old Australian interior with big exposed timber beams ties in with the Japanese decor.

Seated at the bar with a view into the large open kitchen(my favorite place to sit in a restaurant) you can see all the chefs working away, I find this very interesting. None of the chefs seem to talk much however a constant stream of food comes out of the kitchen on this busy Sunday lunch. The food matches the decor with some dishes have an Australian influence with others just like something I have had in Japan.

Scallop nigiri (hotate) $10 – sometimes the simple dishes can be the best

Dessert Bento – I like the concept behind the bento dessert box Its always hard for me to decide what dessert to get and with this you get a selection of different ones to try. Like a tasting plate in Japanese style